


The Most Beautiful Piece Of Art

by SirCuna



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst?, But a lot of fluff, F/F, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Slow Burn, a lot of red ice and thirium, and Simon, but they are still students, connor investigates!!, crime solving I guess?, except connor, i think this is a better summary than the actual summary, im going crazy here, leo is missing, markus is human, markus wants to find him and everybody helps, maybe more than just some, rating will be changed later, simon is not, some secrets, tags and characters and relationships will be added, there is so much going, you know why
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2019-05-24 03:34:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14946833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirCuna/pseuds/SirCuna
Summary: A few years ago, androids were granted the same rights as humans, when they were considered as a form of intelligent life. But the implementation of their equality has not been easy. Androids were still accused of stealing people's jobs and therefore the segregation hasn't stopped.Markus is an art student at the Detroit University for Art and Performance and witnesses the abuse and inequality androids have to live with. Especially when he meets an android who can't live his passion, he decides to do something.And fate is unpredictable.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay okay. This AU was an idea by Frankie (tumblr: tfbaes) and should have been a fluffy oneshot. But I can't control myself, thus it is a slow burn fic with A LOT going on (you'll see).  
> I'm not quite satisfied with the first chapter but I promise it will get better! I've already written the first 10k of this fic and I think I'll update weekly. 
> 
> English is not my first language (as you might have noticed) and despite having it beta read I apologize for any mistakes we have missed. 
> 
> But first SPECIAL THANKS to Frankie (tfbaes) for this beautiful beautiful AU idea!  
> SPECIAL THANKS to John (lazydaydreamerx), who has to tolerate my nonsense mumbling on skype (and thank you for looking after me or else I probably wouldn't have eaten or slept)  
> And SPECIAL THANKS to Holly (piss-bucket) for beta reading and editing my first chapter! It is so much better now to read.

The bus was bursting with people and androids, which had to inevitably squeeze together when someone wanted to leave the vehicle. The sweat dripped from their foreheads and glasses were fogged. Disgusted by the smell of sweat, he wrinkled his nose.  
With one hand clinging to a seat, he skipped the music on his phone. The loud music barely drowned out the voices in the packed bus. He leaned against a seat and touched an older woman accidently, who had a fleshy face and bulging eyes. The elder turned outraged to the young man and punished him with a disgusted look.  
He quickly headed to another direction and squeezed himself through the mass of people. He lowered his gaze and, while securing his shoulder bag with one hand, left the crowded bus an stepped onto the wet walkway. He felt annoyed gazes upon him, nevertheless he went undeterred towards the grey university.  
The university was surrounded by high walls, which were covered in colorful posters. Some of them were nearly teared down or painted over. Completely ignoring the world with and focusing on his music, he looked for shelter from the rain at the entrance of the university and sat down at the cold stone steps.

Markus liked the smell of rain. Putting the bag next to him as music roared in his ears, he watched the rain splashing on the ground and the students coming and going. He sighed as a, unfortunatly, familiar face approached him.

"What's wrong, perfect?" Leo Manfred faced him stiffly and folded his arms across his chest. Leo was the son of the most famous artist in Detroit: Carl Manfred. Carl had adopted Markus when he was already fourteen and the boy loved him more than anything else. Carl gave him a lot of love and set his hopes in Markus. That was exactly the reason why Leo hated him so much. He called Markus out of ridicule 'perfect', because he was - at least according to Leo - the perfect son and seemed to be the favorite of Carl.  
Despite attending the Detroit University of Art and Performance as well, he rarely showed up at any lectures or training. He attended the university just because of his father's wish. 

Markus ignored Leo and turned the music up as loud as it could go, trying to ignore everything Leo had to say. It was probably insulting or unimportant anyway. He gave up a long time ago to connect or get along with his 'brother'. He noticed from the corner of his eye Leo continued to try to converse with him, however Markus continued to ignore him and focused more on his music. Leo’s face echoed agitation. He pushed past him, not missing the chance to kick his bag away from him.

Markus groaned and stood up to collect his belongings, which fell out of his bag. He didn't seem to be the only one who had this idea, though. As he already picked some of his drawings and things from the flooded ground, Markus noticed another student who helped pick up the soggy papers as well. He took the headphones out of his ears and raised his head to see the student, who ever so kindly decided to help.

"You don't have to-" But Markus didn't manage to finish his sentence. In front of him stood a young man, probably around his own age. His hair was blond and he had incredible big pale-blue eyes. Their eyes met and the stranger opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it again. 

Markus let his gaze wander over to the strangers face and discovered an LED on the young man's head. The blonde became aware of Markus’s sudden discovery, because his LED quickly changed from blue to yellow. With widened eyes the android handed him his drawings. "Here”, was the only thing he said.  
Markus took his studies from him and for a moment they just stood at the entrance of the university and stared at each other awkwardly. After a few awkward seconds, the android nodded at him as a goodbye and entered with other students the building, not stopping to talk with anyone else.

"Markus! Where were you? I thought you wouldn't come, dumbass!”, a loud feminine voice shouted down the hallway. People always heard North before they saw her. Full of energy, she walked up to Markus and gave him a friendly slap on the back. She frowned as he said nothing and asked, "Are ya okay?". Markus snapped back to reality.  
"Yes… Just a weird morning." He shrugged his shoulders and smiled at her halfheartedly.  
"You're not getting your period, are you?" She squinted her eyes, then laughed obnoxiously as she started moving to class. Markus didn't reply, just grinned slightly to himself and followed her.

During the lecture he could not concentrate at all and often caught himself thinking about this morning's encounter. He had met androids before, but something was off. Markus couldn't quite define what it was.

A few years ago, they were granted the same rights as humans, when they were considered as a form of intelligent life. At the beginning, most people were very glad about this news, even if there were still a few opponents at that time (Carl was arguing with Leo about this topic today). But the implementation of their equality has not been easy.  
Androids were still accused of stealing people's jobs and in some areas of Detroit are posters with the inscription of _'no androids allowed'_ to be seen.  
The worst segregation of androids is to be found in art. People believe that art is a skill that only humans could really master and androids - regardless their newly developed feelings and emotions - are not able to understand or create art. They would use too much 'algorithms' or try to copy ‘real’ art created by past humans.

Markus thought it was all bullshit. He believed that both humans and androids have the right of self-expression and art, music or writing., or anything! Nevertheless, there was not one android at his university who studied. Markus frowned at this realization. Then why did the android enter the building this morning?  
He slumped over a little bit out of shame when he thought of his reaction, how he was overwhelmed to talk to the blond android. He placed his hand on his forehead and slightly bit his lower lip when he realized that he had not even thanked the android or even asked his name, or why he had been at the university. 

"Mr. Manfred? Are you still with us?". Markus raised his head in shock and stared at the professor in embarrassment. He was so absorbed in thought that he had completely forgotten his surroundings.  
"I'm sorry, professor.", Markus muttered and peered at North, who grinned at him mischievously. When the teacher returned to his lecture, North leaned over to Markus and whispered so quietly that he had to make an effort to understand her.  
"What is wrong with you today? You're never this distracted. Did something happen with Carl?", she had whispered with a tinge of worry. Markus didn't answer her, just shook his head. "Then what is it? C'mon, don't do this to me." She poked him in the stomach with her index finger and stared at him expectantly. "Nothing important…. I just met an android today." Markus looked over at North and saw her wrinkling her nose and raising an eyebrow. 

"That's it? That's why you’re so distracted? Detroit's full of androids, if you haven't noticed”, she teased. Markus rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, I know. Just the look he gave me... was weird." That caught North's attention again and she leaned even closer, tensely, so that they were allay cheek to cheek.  
"Weird? What do you mean by that?", she pressed. Markus shrugged his shoulders. "I can't really describe it. It was... full of emotion, I guess?". North sighed. "Yes. Androids have feelings too, dumbass. The only weird thing today is you." 

Both students were startled by a bang. "Are you two done? If you are not interested in learning today, you can go." The professor had slowly lost his patience and threw one of his books on the desk to get the attention of North and Markus. Markus muttered another apology, while North only crossed her arms, annoyed, and raised an angry eyebrow.

For the rest of the lecture they remained in their own thoughts. Markus thought about North's words. Of course, he knew that androids had feelings. But the android this morning just had so much of it. Markus was not sure, but he believed he had seen insecurity, disappointment but also jealousy and astonishment. It gnawed his conscience that he hadn't spoken to him. 

The day passed without further events. Markus didn't see Leo nor the android. The rain had subsided and North invited Markus, Josh and Connor to _Chloe's_ , a small cafe where both humans and androids worked and hung out. North went to _Chloe's_ very often, almost everyday.  
Connor was already sitting near one of the windows waiting for them. Josh joined them shortly after, and not long after that, each of them had a warm drink in their hands. 

Josh talked about the many tasks and homework he had to do (and how there was absolutely no time to finish all that) when North lightly punched Connor's shoulder. Josh interrupted his argument that a normal human being needs more than 24 hours and turned his attention to the two. Markus frowned at the same time North began to laugh loudly. 

"C'mon Connor. You gettin' ya period too? Markus was distracted the whole day and now you're the one daydreaming? What's wrong with you guys?", she said lightheartedly, but still with a genuine concern. Connor flitted his coffee-brown eyes over to Markus, and then raised his hands defensively.

"Nothing, North. I promise." She doubtfully raised an eyebrow and grinned slightly at Connor. "Fine, then. Josh, please continue."  
Hesitantly, Josh's gaze tore himself away from Connor and North. He sighed, then continued to talk about the injustice he felt in the education system. Markus didn't miss that North continued to grin at Connor, but didn't say anything and dedicated himself to Josh’s speech again.  
His attention did not last long, as his phone lit up.

Carl:

> Markus? Where are you? Is Leo with you?  
> 

  
Markus sighed. As relaxed as the afternoon was with his friends, he began to worry again. Even though he didn't say a word, North looked at him worriedly. They had known each other for too long, and sometimes Markus believed that she could read his mind.  
He excused himself and called Carl a little further away. It did not take long before his father answered him.

"Carl? What's wrong?”, Markus’s voice was worried and he heard Carl breathing heavily on the other side. "I don't know what he did but the police are here and asking for Leo. Have you seen him?" Markus stayed quiet for a moment, not knowing what to say. Leo had always been a black sheep and had rather bad company, but he had never had any problems with the police. Markus might not like Leo, but he was worried about what he had done. 

"Sorry, Carl. I just saw him this morning at the university. Should I come home?". Markus looked over at his friends, who seemed to be talking excitedly about something. "I'd be very glad if you did, Markus. Thank you." Carl tried to hide it, but he could still hear the sadness and concern in his father's voice.  
"Alright. I'm on my way." He hung up and took a few quick steps to his friends. "I have to go. Police are at home and looking for Leo. Carl is upset." 

They stared at Markus in shock, but nodded understandingly. Connor was sliding around a little restlessly on his chair. Markus rushed to get his things together and shouldered his bag. He left the cafe and was about to sprint to the bus station if he hadn't been held back by someone's hand. Annoyed, he turned around and looked into Connor's brown eyes. 

Confused, he frowned. "Do you mind if I... I mean do you..." Markus rolled his eyes. Connor was never embarrassed, especially not if he wanted something. "What is it, Connor?" His voice sounded more irritated than he had intended, but at the moment he really just wanted to get home and help Carl. 

"May I accompany you?" He didn't expect that. Astonished, he opened his mouth to answer him, but he did not have an answer. Instead, he asked: "Why?" Connor straightened up and raised his chin. His expression looked more like him than his restless attitude earlier. As soon as he tried to assert something or defend his opinion, he relied on his self-confidence and strength.

"I am currently working on a case where androids sell Red Ice to humans, and I think I can gain information by talking to the policemen at your home." Markus blinked confused and tilted his head. " _You?_ Working on a _case?_ Are you a detective now? And what does it have to do with Leo? There are no androids living with us, Connor. I don't understand”, Markus said, radiating confusion. Connor shook his head.

"I'm not a _detective_. Not yet, anyway, but I've got the chance to help on the case. We know about the existence of a drug cartel, which sells the Red Ice, but we don't know where it is or who leads it. You can't deny that Leo has a history with Red Ice, and there is a possibility that he got involved in something that has to do with the cartel."  
Markus was still not very convinced about Connor's suggestion, however, he wanted to get home quickly and that would probably go faster if he just took Connor with him. Therefore, he agreed and started moving, Connor following him. 

They ended up taking the bus. It would be at least a half hour before they got to the house. Connor stared out the window in a thought-provoking manner, while Markus checked his cell phone every two minutes to see if there was any news from Carl.

When they got off near the Manfred's estate, Markus could already see one of the two patrol cars. His pace quickened without him noticing, and entered his home without further distraction. Connor followed him in silence. "Carl?”, Markus called into the big house. “Living room!”, Carl shouted back, however the answer was unnecessary as a policeman entered the entrance hall and looked at the two young men with skepticism.  
“Which one of you is Leo Manfred?” Markus shook his head. “None of us. I’m Markus, Carl’s other son.” He tried to peer into the living room to find out what condition Carl was in. “I’m Connor. A friend of Markus.” Connor nodded politely to the policeman and conjured a smile on his lips, which was not returned.  
“Don’t interrogate them for God’s sake. Let them in!” Carl's voice seemed less sad now but more annoyed. Markus and Connor pushed past the officer and headed into the living room. Carl was sitting at his bar pouring a probably alcoholic drink to an older man. “Drinking during the shift? Is it going to be a habit, Lieutenant?” Connor's lips no longer smiled but rather grinned as he pointed out his drinking habits to the lieutenant. “It’s not going to be if it already is a habit, Connor. Why am I not surprised to see you here?”. Markus didn't get the rest of their conservation because he was moving towards Carl.  
“Have you heard anything from Leo?”, Markus asked, but Carl only shook his head, disappointed. “I wondered when this day would come. The day the police would take away my son.” Carl lowered his head and the lieutenant groaned. “Do I really have to say it again? We don’t want to take yer boy away. We just want to ask some questions.” Markus looked at the lieutenant. “Then why are you still here?” The lieutenant rolled his eyes. “Because yer dad found some Red Ice in his boy’s room. That’s why.”  
Markus' eyes widened in astonishment. So maybe Connor was right after all? “Markus, do me a favor and go to your room. I guess this will take a bit longer than expected… Also, you have to get up early tomorrow.” Markus searched for Connor's eyes and hoped for help, but he talked to the policeman who had intercepted them in the hallway. “Carl, I came home to help you. You seemed upset.” Carl nodded affirmatively, but immediately shook his head.  
“I was…. But then Lieutenant Anderson asked me to search his room for anything suspicious. I found the Red Ice. I’m more furious than upset. I don’t want you to be the victim of my anger.” Carl's hand stretched to a fist so that the veins emerged and pulsated. He had his eyes closed and breathed deeply. Markus understood his signs. He was incredibly angry and the boy knew only too well that you don't want to be around him when veins protrude from his forehead and his breath began to tremble. 

“Fine then. But tell me if you hear anything, okay?” Carl didn't answer, but just gave confirmation with a nod. Markus said goodbye to the lieutenant and the policeman. As he passed Connor he stopped for a moment and spoke softly into his ear.  
“Text me, Connor. You have to.” “Will do”, he replied.

Arriving in his room, he frustratedly threw his bag onto the bed and sat down on a chair looking directly out of his window. The window was large and took up almost an entire wall, which is why he often had a curtain halfway closed. He stared outside and went over what has happened during the day. It indeed had been a very stressful day.  
After the hours of distraction, he thought about the android he had met this morning. Markus hoped to meet him again. Just to say thank you. 

Markus did not know how long he had been sitting there, but the sun had already set and it started to rain again. His phone lit up.

Connor:

> Nothing from Leo. Waiting for a search warrant to look into his computer. Let’s hope he is safe.  
> 

  
A little later he also received a message from North and Josh, who both asked him if everything had worked out. Markus briefly told them the facts and put his phone aside. He started to get ready for bed and picked up his bag. Some drawings fell out onto the floor. He sat down with crossed legs and looked at his works. They were portraits of other students, studies of natural objects, animals, plants and landscapes. Markus felt more connected to expressive design, but this semester focused on nature and human studies.  
He put aside one drawing after the other and stacked them neatly, however his hand passed over an unfamiliar drawing.  
Heat crept into his face when he saw a drawing of himself. It wasn't his style. The lines were hurried, as if the artist was afraid that they would not be able to finish it in time. Markus let his eyes glide over the drawing, absorbing every detail. It showed him sitting on the stairs in front of the university, with headphones in his ears and drawing himself. He even remembered what he had drawn. It was a group of students trying to climb a tree because a girl's jacket got caught in it.  
He put the drawing aside and immediately discovered another one. It showed a girl whose name he did not know but had already seen in university. She was sitting on a park bench that Markus remembers was behind the university. The girl was absorbed in a book and chewed thoughtlessly on her fingernails. Markus had to smile. This drawing was also made in a hurry.  
Markus counted a total of five drawings that did not originate from him. And then it hit him.  
The android. He must have accidentally mixed his drawings with those of Markus and forgot to separate them out of panic.  
He carefully put the drawings together and back in his bag. He hoped to have an opportunity to give the android back his works. Markus was astonished. He had heard that androids were also engaged in art, composed music and wrote books, but this was still observed with skepticism by the people. Androids could not really assert themselves in the world of humans with their works. Markus had already read one or two books by androids out of interest and recognized no difference between an android and a human writer.  
Markus shook his head and directed his thoughts to tomorrow. He actually had to get up early because he had to get some coal from Bellini before class. On Wednesdays and Fridays they had practical work to do, while the rest of the week they mainly worked on theory.  
In the first half of the day they would make a still life and after a break of one and a half hour a nude drawing is planned. Markus laid down in his bed and looked at his phone one last time.

He opened the chat with North and wrote her:  
Markus:

> Remember what I've told you about that android today?  
> 

  
North:

> the one with the weird face? yeah. what about it?  
> 

  
Markus:

> His face wasn't weird. His expression was. Have you seen him today?  
> 

  
North:

> haven't seen an android at university if you mean that. i don't even know what he looks like. ya know which model?  
> 

  
Markus:

> No. But he was blond and had blue eyes.  
> 

  
North:

> jeez. a lot if people look like this. why do you even ask? got a crush on an android? ;)  
> 

  
Markus rolled his eyes.  
Markus:

> No. But I accidentally took something that belongs to him.  
> 

  
North:

> riiiight. fine then i'll tell ya if i see a blond android with blue eyes ;)  
> 

  
He didn't answer her, and put his phone aside. His gaze flicked out the window and his ears tuned to the rain pattering against the glass. A few minutes later he fell into a dreamless sleep without giving a thought to the android or Leo. 


	2. Chapter 2

Markus woke up before his alarm clock could ring and began to pack his materials into his bag, while the drawings from the unknown android caught his eyes again. He decided to look for the android today. Since it was indeed still very early, he snuck down the stairs quietly. Carl seemed to be asleep. The nurse should be here around 7:30 am to take care of Carl. Markus would have wanted to do it himself, but his classes did not allow that and Carl didn't seem to have a problem with a young nurse helping him through the day. He decided not to make breakfast for himself but to get something later. He put his headphones in his ears and started to skip through his music. It was a quarter past five, therefore the buses would not be much emptier than yesterday. Markus turned his attention outside. Even as it stopped raining, Detroit was still wrapped in the smell of rain. He decided to walk to Bellini’s.  
  
The streets were almost empty, only a few cars or people came his way, among those who wanted to capture the silence of the still sleepy city. Capturing the silence. He had already turned into the small street where the paint shop was located when he stopped the music to listen to the background noise. It was still quite early and Markus had the feeling that the humid air would cool his mind a bit.  
  
Since Bellini’s opened after six o'clock, he chose to sit at the bakery on the opposite side of the street. Equipped with a coffee and a sandwich, he watched as the city slowly began to wake up and the streets filled with life. However, the peace did not last long when he heard someone arguing further away from him. He could not see the participants, because they were hidden in a small side alley off the streets, yet Markus listened.  
  
"Are ya fucking kidding me? Steve, have ya heard that bullshit? Daughter? Fuckin' androids don' have kids." The voice was deep and Markus immediately recognized the aggressiveness in it. He stood up and walked carefully toward the source of the voices to get a better view. "Please, humans have no need to harm the little girl."  
  
Markus stood on the corner and discovered four people: Two middle-aged men provocatively blocking the way so that an android and a girl couldn't get past. One of the men knelt in front of the girl and grabbed her by the chin. "Are ya human or plastic?" The girl stared at him in terror and the android struck the man's hand away and pulled the girl protectively behind him. "Ohh, the machine wanna be a daddy? Do ya job an' protect yer lil' girl." The man gave his buddy a sign, whereupon he held a small knife pointed at the android. "Wanna see what's inside of a bunch o' plastic?"  
  
Markus acted before he could think. With a few fast and firm steps, he sprinted towards the men and hit one of the attackers in the neck. He cried out and turned around with a furious face. The attacker had no time to react when Markus punched him in the face. Something cracked unnaturally, but Markus immediately felt a stabbing pain that traveled from his hand and up his arm. The second man attacked him with the knife, fortunately he had only pricked Markus. The man with the knife was jerked back when the android used the distraction and pounced on him. Markus wanted to hurry to help him, but with one punch in the stomach he lost his firm stance and stumbled a few steps back. He looked up and saw the first man, who seemed to have a broken nose. Thick blood came out of his nose and dripped from his chin and stained his greasy shirt. His face was red with rage. When he struck his fist again, Markus jumped to the side just in time and kicked the attacker in the back of his legs, so he fell with his stomach in the ground. He gasped and coughed painfully as he stood upright again and held his bleeding nose.  
  
Markus heard something falling to the ground behind him and whirled around. The armed man had pushed the android off (who had clutched him from behind), threw himself on the android and plunged the knife into his chest. The girl cried out in horror.  
"Ralph!" She wanted to rush to him, but Markus could stop her. He grabbed the man by the arm and pulled him away from the injured android. The attacker lost his balance for a moment and stumbled to his buddy. He put his hand in his friend's shoulder and pulled him further away from the other three.  
"Let's get outta here. They're nuts." Without losing another second, they left. "You'll regret this, asshole!" They sprinted around the corner and left Markus' field of vision. He turned to the android and the girl, but his breath stopped. Now he had time to look closer at the two.  
  
The android had knelt in front of the girl, pressing his hand against his stomach, with thick blue blood seeping through his fingers and trying to calm her down.  
"Everything's okay. You were a very brave girl, Alice. Ralph would never let anyone hurt you." He hugged the girl named Alice and looked gratefully over her shoulder at Markus. He just stood there with his mouth open and looked at the android. There was a long blue scar on the left side of his face and one eye seemed to have gone blind. His lip had burst open and Thirium was dripping down.  
Alice broke away from Ralph, took him by the hand and went ahead in Markus' direction, although Ralph seemed to resist. Shyly she looked up at him.  
"Thank you." She smiled and looked back and forth between the android and Markus.  
Markus stepped closer to Ralph, who was still pressing his hand against his wound and breathing heavily. "We need to get you fixed."  
Ralph did not respond to Markus' statement, he seemed grateful but also very uncertain. "Ralph wants to thank you." He broke off the eye contact and stared at the wall of the alley.  
"He has bad experiences with humans." Alice whispered, although Ralph could sure hear her. "Did they do that to you?" Markus pointed to the scar covering the whole left half of his face. Ralph didn't say anything but nodded. He turned his gaze from the wall and stared at Markus' arm. The student still felt the stabbing pain of the cut and followed Ralph's gaze. It wasn't deep, yet deep red blood was pouring through his shirt.  
"You are hurt. Ralph will help you." Alice took Markus' hand as well and together they began to move.  
  
Markus hesitated. He didn't have time to follow them. He had to pick up the materials at Bellini's and drive to the university. However, both Ralph and himself were injured and he wanted to make sure the android and the girl were safe. Ralph didn't make a noise, but with some movements his face distorted in pain. He hoped the android wouldn't lose too much blood and find help in time. With his free hand he fished his phone out of his pocket and wrote North that he would not come to class today. Ralph looked at him curiously but said nothing and navigated them from one alley to another.  
"Where are we going?" He looked out of the corner of his eye as Alice looked at Ralph with concern as he answered, “Jericho." Markus frowned.  
He had heard about Jericho on the news. It was place where the deviants (as they were called back then) hid. The original Jericho was destroyed, but the androids settled in an old warehouse in the city, which was near an abandoned port and called it Jericho. As far as Markus knew, only androids lived there. Curiosity gripped him and outweighed his wish to return to university.  
  
"There we are!" Ralph jumped happily up and down and moved Alice and Markus towards the old building. It was covered in graffiti from top to bottom and printed letters saying "Jericho" were written across the building. But even before they could enter the building, a large, muscular android stood in front of the entrance and greeted them.  
"Luther!" Alice tore herself away from Ralph and Markus' hand and ran towards Luther. He lifted her up in the air and turned around their own axis, when she began to laugh.  
"Ralph got the book Kara wanted." Ralph also approached Luther, closely followed by Markus and fetched a blue book from under his cape. Luther stared at Ralph in horror when he discovered the stab wound and the blue blood on the android's stomach.  
"Ralph! What happened to you?". Ralph pressed his hand firmly against the wound, which is why he inadvertently kept pressing blood through his fingers. His expression did not change and his smile remained upright.  
"Nothing important is damaged. My biocomponents are still functional."  
Luther looked at him skeptically, but hesitant replied to his smile. He looked at Markus.  
"You brought a human?", His eyebrows narrowed and Ralph nodded enthusiastically. "He saved Alice and Ralph from humans who wanted to hurt them!" He still nodded and meant Markus to nod as well. "I'm not sure if the others will welcome his presence...", Luther tilted his head, glancing at Markus.  
"What's your name?", he asked in a firm voice.  
"Markus."  
Luther's smile returned, which was reciprocated by Markus.  
With Alice in his arms, Luther entered the warehouse first. Markus noticed that Ralph was slightly limping so he supported him with his shoulder. Ralph smiled gratefully at him.  
  
The building had been slightly rusted from the inside as well as from the outside. The student followed the three androids into a kind of hall with many different androids. Alice took Ralph by the hand again and led him through the hall. Markus stopped with Luther for a moment and looked at the warehouse. The walls and windows were smeared with graffiti, damaged. Rusty stairs led to upper platforms, on which androids were to be found too. Tables were set up on which either magazines, spare parts or radios were placed. Blue blood was passed around in some places. The androids had divided into small groups to listen to the radio, watch TV or just chat. They had settled on the floor or used old boxes as temporary benches. Markus' gaze darkened. The androids looked more like refugees who were still hiding than equals.  
  
"Markus? Are you alright?" Luther laid his warm, strong hand on Markus’ shoulder and looked down worried.  
"I wanted to ask you… Why do you live here of all places?" He became painfully aware of the contrast between this dilapidated building and his own home and he could not help but feel a little guilty. Luther shrugged his shoulders.  
"Where else can we go? Since we don't belong to anyone anymore there is not enough space for androids in this city."  
Markus shook his head in indignation.  
"Then why do you and the other androids allow this? You're still not free!"  
Luther did not respond, but turned his attention to a young woman approaching them. She held Alice' hand and smiled at Luther, stood on her toes and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.  
"What's wrong?" , she asked, sorry written in her features. Luther's gaze had darkened but he only shook his head. She looked from Luther to Markus and began to smile.  
"You're the one who saved Alice and Ralph, aren't you? Thank you so much!", She let go of Alice for a moment to give Markus a thankful hug. Markus returned the hug and smiled at Alice over her shoulder.  
"I'm Kara."  
Kara released him from the hug and politely reached her hand out to him, which he immediately grabbed. "Markus. It's nice to meet you, Kara." She narrowed her eyes a little and put her head aside thoughtfully. "Do I know you? You seem familiar."  
Markus tried hard to remember her, but failed. He could almost see the android searching in her memory for his face. Her eyes lit up and let out a little cry of joy when she found what she was looking for. "Of course! You attend the Detroit University of Art, don't you?" Markus nodded in confusion. She grabbed Luther gently by the arm and nodded at him. "You know him too. Simon used to draw him!"  
Luther opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again, took another closer look at Markus and his eyes received a gleam of recognition.  
  
"Simon?", Markus questioned, tilting his head. Kara nodded lovingly. "You probably don't know him. But he is a very kind person. I guess I shouldn't tell you this but he loved to draw you." Markus shook his head in disbelief. Luther took Alice by the hand and slowly moved away from Kara and Markus. "Luther brings her to Lucy. She is kind of a therapist. We want to check on her because of the stress from the attack….", Kara explained, looking ahead wistfully. The student nodded understandingly and looked Kara in the eyes again.  
  
"Alright." His eyes scurried over her face for a moment until his curiosity caught him and he decided to ask. "Okay... this Simon... draws me? Why?" Kara conjured an understanding smile on her face and looked at him softly. "He was fascinated by your eyes. I tried to encourage him to talk to you but he never really listened to me." Markus felt his face flush hot. "But don't tell him that I told you! He'd probably never speak to me again." She laughed, a little insecure. "Don't worry. I'll keep it to myself."  
  
And then it hit him.  
  
Kara was just about to leave, when Markus held her back. "Wait. Simon is an android too, isn't he?" Kara looked at him in surprise. "Yeah. He's a PL600." Markus let go of her arm. Was the android he met the morning before Simon? Kara left and Markus took his phone out of his pocket.  
  
_3 missed calls_  
  
One missed call from North and two from Connor. Markus felt a cold shiver down his spine. Any news about Leo? He would call them back immediately, but first he wanted to search the internet for the PL600. The search was not long and after a few seconds pictures of the model were presented to Markus. Blond, short hair, pale blue eyes. It was the same face as the android whose drawing he had in his pockets.  
  
Simon.  
  
He closed the browser and looked for North's contact first.  
When she accepted, Markus didn't get a chance to say anything, as North immediately started to talk excitedly. "Markus! I've found that android you were lookin' for! You'll never guess what he does!" He was really curious, but he just didn't have the time. "North, I'm at Jericho,” he explained. For a few moments it was dead silent on North's side. "Huh?" was the confused answer. When Markus replied nothing, she continued: "Jericho? You mean ... _that Jericho?_ You've met an android yesterday and immediately head to Jericho? What the fuck, Markus! Why?", she didn't sound angry or worried. She seemed more excited about the news.  
  
"I got in a fight this morning. Two guys tried to stab an android and a little girl but… we handled it. We're fine now." At least that's what he hoped. Although he no longer felt his own injury, Ralph still remained injured himself. North sighed. "I hope you broke an arm or something,” she said. "I think I broke the nose of one of them." Markus smiled as North laughed at his statement. "Okay. Break's nearly over. See ya." North said goodbye and hung up.  
  
Markus stood motionless and watched the androids around him. He didn't feel strange, even though he was the only human in the area. Every now and then an android looked at him with some suspicion, but most of them either ignored him or seemed to accept him.  
  
He shook his head and arranged his thoughts.  
Connor's contact. It took only a few seconds for Connor to pick up. "Markus here. Have you found Leo?" Markus frowned because Connor did not answer immediately, as people usually did. He heard something breaking on the other side. "Shit." Markus widened his eyes in astonishment. Connor never cursed. Out of breath, he began to speak: "Sorry, Markus. No we haven't. But I wanted to ask you something. Does Leo have any contact with androids?" Leo and androids? He had regular arguments with Carl about them. To Leo, androids were nothing more than machines trying to replace humans.  
  
"No. He hates them. But you know that, Connor. Why do you ask?" Connor breathed heavily, but answered anyway. "I'm not allowed to tell you this, but because Leo is your brother and because you are my friend, I'll do it anyway." For the second time in a few minutes Markus was surprised about Connor. "We got the search warrant and found about one liter of Thirium in his room. I know that he hates androids but I couldn't find an explanation. I thought maybe you had one." Markus thought hard, but could not find a reasonable explanation for it."No. That's completely crazy”, he sighed, clutching his phone a bit tighter. Connor sighed and Markus heard the dull sound on the other side of the conversation.  
"Okay. I don’t understand.... What's going on over there, Connor?". His friend groaned in pain. "I just stumbled over a chair. I promised to look after a dog but he got one of my coins and I'm afraid that it might get stuck in his throat." Markus heard Connor walk a bit until something broke again. "Oh my god. Hank is going to kill me.", he muttered. The student saw Ralph move slowly towards him from the crowd. He breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently he was treated and his skin showed no signs of wounds anymore (except for the ones he already had). There was still some blue blood on his clothes, but that didn't seem to bother the android. Markus replied to Ralph's smile and turned back to the conversation.  
"Should I come over?" Connor made a desperate sound. "Aren't you at school? It's not even 11am..." Ralph stood in front of Markus and pointed his finger at his wound, which no longer hurt as much as it did half an hour ago. He saw the android holding a first aid kit and he tried to get Markus to sit. Markus followed Ralph's request and sat down on one of the boxes. "I'm not. It's kind of a long story,” he said, laughing halfheartedly. Ralph scanned the wound, cleaned and disinfected it. He wrapped the bandage tightly around Markus' skin and pushed his sleeve over the bandage again. Markus nodded gratefully to him.  
  
"Would you come over? The house is a mess and I still don't have the coin. I don't think he swallowed it yet." Markus got the address from Connor and promised to come as soon as possible. Markus hung up and immediately noticed Ralph's look.  
"You want to go?" Ralph's eyes became sadder and he stared at his hands. "Ralph knows it's not pretty here, but Ralph's family lives here." Markus looked at Ralph pityingly. "I'll come back. I promise. But I need to leave now. A friend of mine needs help." He put his hand on Ralph's shoulder, thus the android looked up at Markus hopefully. "Ralph has never made friends with a human... He doesn't want to lose that." "He won't lose it." Markus smiled at him and got up. He searched in his pocket for a piece of paper and a pen. "I don't know if you have a phone or something but here is my number. Call me if you need anything." He wrote his number down and gave it Ralph. The android watched Markus leaving the hall.  
  
Outside the building, he looked at his phone. It was just before eleven. North was in school until 2:30 pm. He briefly texted her that he was on his way to Connor.  
The bus ride to the address Connor had given him took almost 45 minutes to get to. Markus didn't even know who owned the house he was about to enter. He walked towards the front door, but before he could knock, Connor already opened the door. Connor looked stressed. His hair fell into his face, he had unbuttoned his shirt and tiredness was obvious on his features. Drops of sweat stuck to his forehead and he pulled Markus into the house without wasting a second. "Markus, I'm so glad that you are here. I could stop Sumo from swallowing the coin, but the house looks like a hurricane ran through it..." And he was right about that.  
  
The living room was a disaster. Cushions and plates were scattered throughout the room. Beer bottles were scattered on the floor and tipped their contents over the tiles. Feathers scattered the sofa and the floor, apparently the dog had got a pillow in his mouth. Books fell out of a shelf, pizza boxes and bags were chewed up in the kitchen. The dog food was everywhere but in the bowl. Shards of at least two cups lay in a dustpan on the table, which was covered with newspaper shreds. Chairs were knocked over and a lamp lopsided on a desk.  
  
"Connor! What did you do? I thought you just tried-", But he did not finish the sentence when he saw the said dog walk towards him. Now that he saw the size of the dog, he understood the extent of the disaster. "I know he doesn't look like it, but he is unstoppable once he got something he can chew on." Markus pet Sumo and looked at Connor mischievously. "Let's clean this mess up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is!
> 
> Special Thanks to Holly (tumblr: piss-bucket) for editing my chapter!  
> And special thanks to (tumblr:) hazeofeleven for second beta reading! I owe you two so much and I'm very glad that you help me <3
> 
> I promise Simon will soon get a more screentime in the future (it's in fact a slowburn fic!) but I'm so excited about my own fic because I've got soooo many ideas which I want to include (side plots, major plottwists, concrete scenes with the ship and background ships oh my god please stop me my head is exploding) 
> 
> And if you're wondering: I'll update every Saturday (or else I'll tell on my tumblr: sir-cuna) 
> 
> And thank you SO SO MUCH for the comments and kudos! It's incredibly inspiring and motivating!


	3. Chapter 3

It took them at least two hours to clean the whole house. Connor had made coffee for Markus and they were now sitting in the kitchen, watching as Sumo laid his head on Connor's lap and slept peacefully. Connor stroked him lovingly over the head. "Did I understand this correctly? You keep an eye on the _lieutenant's_ dog? And nearly destroyed _his house?_ ". Connor looked shyly up at him. "Yes... Lieutenant Anderson had to leave on short notice and I volunteered to look after Sumo. He won't come back until tomorrow." Markus leaned over to the big dog and scratched behind his ears. "Why did he leave?". Markus didn't really expect an answer from Connor, but surprisingly he received one: "An android went crazy and it is holding a girl hostage. Its motives are unknown but lieutenant Anderson promised to text me when the situation was under control. Apparently it's a PL600. I offered to assist him but he refused." Markus went pale and Connor frowned. "Are you alright? The girl will be saved, I'm certain."

Markus thought briefly of Simon, but quickly rejected the thought again. After Kara talked to him about the blonde android, Markus couldn't imagine Simon would hurt anyone. He didn't have the time to worry about it, though, because his cell phone rang. It was shortly after two and North just seemed to have found time to call.

"Is Connor with you?", was the first thing she said to him. Markus answered with a yes and she spoke excitedly: "Put me on speaker." He granted her request and put the phone on the table.

"Okay guys. Let’s meet at _Chloe's_. Josh already knows. I've got a surprise for you!" She laughed. "But aren't you still at the university?", Markus asked, raising a brow. "I am, but if you can ditch school, I can do it too." Connor shook his head, “You both will get in trouble." Markus looked at Connor with a smirk. " _We’ll_ get in trouble? Who is to blame for the mess we just had to clean up?" Connor put on an innocent face and looked at Sumo, but Markus went ahead of him and asked further. "And who played with a coin in the first place?" Markus grinned confidently as Connor rolled his eyes. "I'll be more careful-" "Uhhh, guys? I'm still here, ya know?", North's voice came through his phone. "We'll be there." Connor wanted to protest, but Markus had already hung up. "And what do you think we'll do with Sumo? I don't want to leave him alone." Markus got up and hid a smile. Sumo would do just fine on his own. He had a hunch that Connor just wanted to keep the Saint Bernard Dog close to him. "He can come with us." Connor smiled from ear to ear and jumped up.

They put the empty cups in the sink and took Sumo on a leash. Connor stopped at the entrance for a moment and looked at the living room. They had done a good job of cleaning up. Too good, as Connor thought. When the lieutenant would enter the house the next day, he would immediately know that something was wrong. He sighed and left the driveway with Markus and Sumo.

They couldn't take the bus with the dog, therefore they walked to _Chloe's._ On the way they remained silent and spent time in their own thoughts. Markus didn't know if he was worried or curious about North's 'surprise'.

They knew each other since primary school and he knew her as well as he knew himself. She was not a peaceful person and preferred to use violence rather than persuasion and compromise. She was easily irritable, and by new means, however, is shy to give her opinion. She was the best friend Markus has ever had. She also brought Josh into their clique. Shortly after they entered college, North brought Josh to a party with Markus, where they've met for the first time. Josh and North didn't always get along because they had very different views, but nevertheless Josh fit in perfectly, regardless of whether North and Josh argued. Maybe two or three years ago, Connor joined them. His gentle yet convincing in manner. He was immediately and sincerely accepted by all. They never really talked about how they met, but nobody asked. Connor has settled into the clique incredibly well in the last few years, although he was a few years older than the three but Markus could no longer see the group without him.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard North calling from afar. North had sat down at a table on the terrace and Markus recognized two more heads, but they were turned towards her. She waved them over to her and the other two people turned around curiously to see the newcomers. Markus immediately recognized Josh's wide smile. They reached the table and Markus stagnated for a moment. The third person at the table looked at Markus with big, pale blue eyes. "Markus, Connor. This is Simon.", North introduced them to each other. Connor tied Sumo to his chair and politely shook Simon's hand. "Nice to meet you, Simon!" He smiled at Connor and briefly pet the dog. "Is it yours?". The black-haired male shook his head. "I’m looking after him for a friend." North raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Oh, you both are _friends_ now?" Connor glared at her. "Yes."

"Markus, you can sit down." Josh grabbed his arm and pulled him down so he could sit on a chair. He hadn't noticed him still staring at Simon. The android took his eyes off Connor and looked directly at Markus. The student remembered his bag and started looking in it. "I think I've accidently took some of your drawings yesterday." he took the drawings carefully out of his bag and presented them to the blond android. Although he looked very relieved, his LED flashed yellow. "Thank you. I was afraid I had lost them.", Simon said with a nervous smile. Josh looked up in interest. "Oh? Are you an art student too? I didn't know androids study." Before Simon could answer, North pushed forward. "Kind of." Josh looked at her questioningly, but she said nothing more.

Except for Simon, they ordered their drinks and talked about studying or Connor's police work. Simon did not speak much, but listened carefully to the others. His LED had turned back to the calm blue some time ago. Suddenly, Connor’s phone rang. he apologized, then walked a few meters to take the call. Markus assumed it was the lieutenant. North grinned and switched her already empty cup with Connor's mostly untouched one. Josh made an annoyed sound, which she replied to by sticking out her tongue. Doing this was almost a ritual of North. As soon as someone left the table, she stole that person's cup.

North turned to Markus, then asked,”What was Jericho like?". Josh made a surprised sound. "You were at Jericho?", he asked excitedly and Simon looked at Markus in silent shock. Markus turned his attention to the cup of coffee in front of him and took a moment to think over his words. Then he spoke in a low voice. "I can't describe it. It was ... sad. I mean they were very kind and welcomed me as a friend, but I saw how they live. How they are treated. I got in a fight this morning, in which two guys attacked two androids. One if them was a child android. We've been able to handle it but the older android, Ralph, seemed to have been attacked before-" "Ralph? Was the child called Alice?", Simon asked, eyes wide. "Yeah. Don't worry they're okay. They took me to Jericho, where I've met Kara and Luther." "Who?", Josh asked. "Kara and Luther are Alice' parents.", Simon explained. "Well, not biological, but family isn't necessarily defined by blood." Markus understood this too well. Even though he wasn't Carl's biological child, he felt no more related to any person than to him.

Markus looked at Simon, who kept eye contact. "You live there too, don't you?" The android slightly crinkled his eyes. "Jericho is my home. My friends live there. It's not pretty, but at least it's safe." Markus remembered that Ralph had said something very similar and his stomach churned uncomfortably. "Do you like it at Jericho?", he asked demandingly. Josh and North stayed silent and watched the conversation eagerly. Simon continued to make eye contact. "It is my _home_ and we're safe. What more can we want?". Markus felt the heat rising into his face and Simons's LED changed back to yellow. "What more can you want? Strictly equal rights for humans and androids. To be recognized as a person in their own right. Punishments for all crimes against androids. Dignity, work, home and private property. An end to segregation. Freedom."

It was dead silent for a few moments. Simon raised his chin. "It's easy for you to say that. Especially as a human. My people died to end slavery. It might not look like it to you, but this is a huge improvement. I want to live, therefore I'm grateful with what we have." Markus leaned over to Simon and continued speaking in a firm voice: "Your people didn't die to end slavery. They died to achieve freedom. You can't end the fight with the first victory. The androids are still very far away from freedom." Simon frowned. Josh put his hand on Markus' shoulder and whispered to him calmly. "Calm down. We don't know what they've been through." North, on the other hand, shook her head in indignation. "I agree with Markus. Have you seen any androids at your university, Josh? Or at ours? You know exactly that they are still being segregated and discriminated!" She was upset and Markus felt that she was ready to attack.

"I'm not ignorant, North. I know that androids have equal rights but it's just in theory. I'm just saying that I understand Simon's point of view. They did make progress in our society after all. I don't say it is enough, but it is a beginning."  
"See? You said it yourself! It's just the beginning. They shouldn't stop now. If they stop demanding their rights now, the majority of people will think they can continue treating androids like shit."  
"North is right. You may not live in slavery but you live in misery. I've seen your expression. I've seen the expressions at Jericho. You know that you are more than what they tell you. You can't give up!"  
"We don't give up, Markus. We stay alive. We live in peace. You wouldn't think in this way if you'd be an android. If you'd seen what they did to us while we were their slaves….. If you'd seen how my people died."  
Markus stood up and supported himself with the palms of his hands in the table. He bent down deeply towards Simon. "I would still think this way. I would still fight for my rights. For my life. My freedom."  
Simon looked up to him, challengingly. " _I want freedom_ , but there are too many androids who are afraid. I can't do it on my own. What do you expect me _to do_?", He hissed, but before he could say anything else, Connor came back to the table. "I have to-" He stopped and looked at the tense scene. "What happened? I was gone for five minutes."

Simon broke off eye contact and turned his attention to Connor. "Everything's fine. Don't worry." His LED changed back to blue and Markus calmed down as well. "Did Lieutenant Anderson call you?", he asked without losing sight of Simon. "Yes. He asked me if I could come over to the scene. The situation isn't completely under control but he thought my studies on androids could be of some assistance." He untied the sleepy Sumo from the chair. "I better bring him back to his house. I'll see you tomorrow. I hope we will meet again, Simon." Connor waved goodbye and took quick steps in the direction they came from to get here.

"I guess I'll go, too.", Simon said and stood up as well. North looked up to him disappointed. "What a pity. We had so much fun. See ya on friday." Josh and Markus said goodbye to Simon as he left the terrace of _Chloe's._

He hadn't even crossed the road completely when North bent over to Markus. "I get no 'thank you'?" Markus and Josh frowned. "For what?", Markus asked. North rolled her eyes. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because I've found the android you seemed to be so obsessed with?". She tried to suppress a grin, but the twitching of the corners of her mouth betrayed her. Josh looked at Markus in astonishment. "Did I miss something?".

"No. First of all, I wasn't obsessed with him-"  
"You were just constantly mentioning him." , North cut in with a smirk.  
"-And secondly I wanted to give him back his drawings.", Markus groaned, finishing what he had to say.  
Josh smiled. "He was friendly, wasn't he? I like him. Maybe a bit shy but I can imagine him being part of our group." 

 

When Markus came home around 7:30 pm, Carl was already waiting for him. "You weren't at school, were you?" Markus winced. Carl was disappointed and it hurt him. "I can explain." Carl sat in his wheelchair with his arms crossed and did not pay any attention to him. "First Leo and now you. I'd never thought _you_ would start skipping school." Markus let his head sink. "I know that you are disappointed. I'm truly sorry, Carl. But I had to help the androids. I'd do it again if I had to." Carl listened and looked at Markus. "What happened?" Markus approached Carl and stood behind the wheelchair. Slowly he pushed him into the living room, poured Carl a drink at the bar and sat himself down on a chair. "I wanted to go to Bellini but a fight caught my attention. Apparently, some guys harassed two androids. They were armed and I couldn't just stand there and watch. One of the androids got stabbed but he's fine now. I broke the guy's nose. The androids took me to Jericho, where they treated his and my wound." Carl winced. "So you both were _wounded_?" Markus nodded and raised is sleeve, uncovering the bandage Ralph had made for him. "It's nothing serious. I don't even feel it anymore." Carl stroked over the bandage thoughtfully and looked at Markus. "I'm proud of you. You reacted absolutely right by saving those androids. I wish more people would react just like you did. Well, maybe without breaking everyone's noses." They laughed together and enjoyed the silence that followed. Markus didn't want to break this silence, but he just had to ask: "Did you hear anything from Leo? Or the police?". Carl sighed. "Leo remains missing. But your friend, the lieutenant and some other policeman were here and searched his room. They've found some blue blood and took his computer with them."  
  
Markus didn't say anything, just put one arm around Carl's shoulder. "I don't know what to do anymore. I don't know where my son is or what he has done." The artist sighed heavily and Markus pressed him firmly to himself. "Everything is going to be alright. Leo will come home. Even if I have to look for him on my own." 

It was 10:16 pm when Markus came to his room. Carl and he didn't talk much. The artist let himself be driven into his studio and Markus watched him painting. Preserving the silence, he brought Carl to his bed and then went to his own.  
His thoughts revolved around the blond android and his view of things.  
  
_You wouldn't think this way if you'd be an android._  
  
Markus was sure that he would also represent this view as an android. He did not want to see the people continue to differentiate the androids from themselves, although they all just wanted to live together in piece. Markus felt the need to prove to Simon that androids were more than just freed slaves. He wanted to show him that they were the same. He didn't want Simon to have that look on his face. The expression of insecurity and jealousy.  
  
With this decision he fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand here's the third chapter! And it has Simon in it!  
> I want them to kiss! I promise someday they will, but we need more slow burn *wink*
> 
> Special Thanks to Holly (tumblr:piss-bucket) who edited my chapter! Thank you so so much dear! <3
> 
> And thanks to everyone who left comments/ kudos and bookmarks!


	4. Chapter 4

Thursday didn't want to move at all. Markus had the feeling that every hour was longer than the previous one. North seemed to feel similarly.  


Connor hasn't been able to get out of bed all day. He had saved the child, but the android was seriously injured and it is still uncertain whether he would survive. Connor was at the DPD all night with Lieutenant Anderson to fill out papers. It had been Connor's first dangerous operation and it had tired him out more than he had thought. The hostage situation was all over the news and in the newspaper this morning. Even at the university people heard a rag of the subject from time to time. The opinion about androids had visibly worsened. North was with him during the whole thing and threatened to beat up anyone who even said anything like 'Androids are dangerous.' and 'When will the government finally do something against them?'. Markus and North were relieved that Connor got out of the situation undamaged, but they were a little disappointed that they couldn’t get any details from him.  


Since Josh studied a few streets away in a university for mathematics and computer science, they also had no contact with him all day. Markus did not see the blond android in the university and there was still no trace of Leo.  


Shortly after four o'clock, North and Markus left the university and she threw her arms triumphantly into the air.  
"Freedom! Oh my gosh, I thought the time stopped in there!". She jumped light-footed down the stone steps and danced to the street.  
Feeling embarrassed for his friend, Markus looked around again and followed her.  


They didn't go to Chloe's this time, but instead met Josh in the library. He wanted to work on linear algebra and data structures. Since Josh would join them later, the two students sat down in the lounge and chatted quietly.  


The conversation lasted about twenty minutes when Markus’ phone dinged. He frowned because an unknown number was displayed. He opened the chat and discovered a photo. It depicted a young man Markus didn't know. An LED lit blue at his temple, he looked into the camera laughing. He was sitting on a box and stroking a black cat.  
Markus received a message from the same number shortly afterwards.

Unknown:

> weve found a cat yes yes we named it tom!!!  
> 

  


Markus folded his forehead and showed North the photo.  
"Do you know him?" North shook her head and looked skeptically at Markus.  
"I mean, you have talked with a lot of androids lately.” He didn’t reply, instead turned his attention back to the unknown sender.

Markus:

> That's a cute cat. Sorry, but who are you?  
> 

  


Within a few seconds, a message came back.

Unknown:

> oh yes yes sorry its ralph he didn't want to bother his friend no he wanted to show him his friend jerry and our new cat!!!  
> 

  


Markus nodded understanding. He gave Ralph his number yesterday. He blinked when Ralph sent him another message.  


Unknown:

> its jerry's phone. ralph has none and jerry said we could share it to communicate with friends!!!  
> 

  


Markus smiled. He turned to North again.  
“Do you remember Ralph?” North’s expressions made it clear she didn’t. “The android who got attacked yesterday. It's him and his friend.”  
North hummed nonchalantly, not seeming to care, and scrolled through a few notifications on her phone. He saved the number and answered:  


Markus:

> I'm glad we can text! Whenever you need something, tell me :)  
>  Hi to Jerry and your cat btw!   
> 

  


He closed the chat and saw Josh walking towards them. North also put her cell phone away and greeted her friend with a quick high five. He looked somewhat stressed and joined his friends in the lounge chairs.  
“Long day,” North asked. Josh just nodded.  


Around fifty minutes had passed. Josh worked by himself and North talked quietly with Markus. From time to time Josh interrupted his work and played with his cellphone . Markus hadn't really cared to notice, however North raised her eyebrows every time he tapped away, and finally asked him curiously:  
“Got a girlfriend?”. She laughed, but her expression quickly shifted to serious. Josh rolled his eyes and turned back to his book.  
“No. It’s Simon.”. Now both North and Markus were very interested.  


“So you’ve got a boyfriend?” North supported her chin with her hand and grinned at Josh suggestively.  
"Jesus Christ, North. No. We exchanged numbers yesterday and have been texting since then. I guess we're kind of friends."  
Markus blinked and tilted his head.  
“What is it with you guys and the androids?”, North muttered, shaking her head.  


They parted ways when the sun had reached the edge of the city. It was early autumn, so the days were becoming shorter and shorter. Markus decided to walk to the Manfreds’ property because it didn't look like it would rain.  
With music in his ears, he daydreamed as he walked along Lafayette Avenue. Only when he had almost reached the property did he notice the lieutenant’s car. Markus stopped and slowly put his headphones away. He stepped closer to the car and looked inside. He recognized some stickers stuck to the dashboard, but there was no sign of the detective.  
With an unpleasant feeling in his stomach, he approached the front door and entered the house.  


“Welcome, Markus. ” The automatic greeting sounded through the house and Markus looked around.  
Two jackets that weren’t normally here were hanging on the coat hanger. Markus recognized Connor's and felt a little more comfortable. If Connor was here, it meant he was better off. It was also good to see a familiar face in this tense situation.  


He put his things down and went into the living room. Carl and Connor sat at the dining table and talked quietly while the lieutenant was on the phone with someone. Carl was the first to notice Markus. He pushed himself away from the table and rolled his wheelchair towards Markus. Connor also rose and followed Carl.  
"What happened?" Markus was worried. Carl was silent, Connor took the floor.  


“We don’t know exactly but we’ve fou-”.  
“Connor!” The lieutenant yelled, visibly upset to the three and held the phone to his ear. Carl broke his silence.  
"I don't want you to know. Not yet. As long as Leo remains missing, I don't want you to worry."  
Markus took a closer look at his father. He looked older and sicker and his eyes were a little swollen. Had he been crying? A shiver ran down his spine.  


“And _you_ ”, The lieutenant now addressed Connor directly, “aren’t allowed to tell him anything ‘bout the case. Are ya outta yer mind?”. Connor lowered his eyes.  
“I guess you are bad influence, sir.”, Connor said with a bit of a snicker.  
Markus’ eyes widened as the lieutenant’s expression shifted. He waved his hand, brushing off Connor, and turned his back.  
"Mr. Manfred, you've got ale, haven't ya. How 'bout a drink?".  
Carl agreed and joined the lieutenant.  


“Chess?”. Markus raised an eyebrow and looked at Connor, who had already started to move.  
They sat down at the chessboard and Markus took a moment to take a closer look at Connor as he arranged the pieces. He looked incredibly tired and his hair was not styled, but fell slightly curly on his face. He had dark rings under his eyes.  


“How have you been?” Markus asked.  
Connor looked up in surprise.  
“I’m fine.”, was all he said, but Markus remained skeptical.  


“You don’t look fine. Is it about Leo or the android who held that girl hostage?”. Connor closed his eyes and frowned.  
“Just a headache…”, He opened his eyes again and made the first move. Markus wouldn’t give up and leaned over the table towards his friend.  
“Connor. Talk to me. ” He hesitantly blinked to Markus.  


“It’s nothing really. The android was indeed very stressful. Nearly killed us all.... I want to solve this case. Find Leo. But I’m not even sure if he is alive anymore. And I think I have feelings fo-”.  
“ _Alive?_ What do you mean you’re not sure?”. Connor looked at Carl and Anderson, who were talking intensively and then leaned far over the game.  
“Miller called us to a crime scene because the team has found Red Ice and… well I thought the blood belonged to the victim Ortiz… I mean some of it belonged to him but … ” He didn’t finish the sentence. And he didn’t have to. So Leo was with that Ortiz guy? Why? Did they fight? Did Leo kill him? Was Leo alive? Was he hurt? Why didn’t Carl want him to know?  
"Markus?”, Connor looked at him in worry.  


"I'm.. alright. I guess”, Markus responded, rubbing his hands together before picking up a chess piece.  
They played for a while without saying a word until Marcus broke the silence.  
"Do you want to talk about yesterday?". Connor stopped his movements.  


"I was scared. I thought he might jump." After Markus’ confused expression he spoke further.  
"The android lived with the family for maybe four years. After he deviated he stayed and even after they were granted the same rights as humans he continued to live with them. I think it was because of the girl, Emma. I have no idea why but he killed the father and took the girl hostage yesterday. He wanted to jump with her. I could convince him to let the girl go. But... they shot him. He is in repair right now and it is not sure if he is going to survive it." After a break he added: “I was in shock. Lieutenant Anderson took care of me.” Markus nodded and laid his hand on his friend’s arm.  


After another half hour, Connor and Anderson said goodbye to the Manfreds and left the estate together. Markus was more worried about Connor than before. Connor had never said why he worked for DPD or how long he had been working. When Marcus met him, Connor was already involved in minor police work.  
Markus took care of his father and then thought about slipping into his bed himself. He thought for a while about Connor and what he said. Where was Leo right now? Did he have a place to sleep? Was he under a bridge? Or was his body already floating in a river?  
Markus pushed the horrible thought away and fell asleep.

On Friday morning Markus was greeted at the university by a North smiling ear-to-ear.  
“Why are you so happy? Did I miss something?” But he only received a shrug of her shoulders as an answer.  
As they had practical work on Friday - first nature studies, then nude drawing - they went into the yard, which was surrounded by the buildings of the old university. In the first two to three hours, the yard was empty as the students who were free at that time either slept or had breakfast in a cafe. Only later would the yard be filled with students who spent their breaks or free hours here.  


Therefore they had the first few hours in here, where they could work undisturbed. He sat down under the tree and watched a dove looking for grains close to the ground. He set out to sketch a rough outline of them. After perhaps a few minutes, North snuck up and immediately jumped towards the dove, which fled from terror into the air.  
“Damnit North! It was my motif.”, he grumbled, tapping his pencil against his notebook. She laughed and shrugged her shoulders, but sat beside him in the grass.  
“I’ve got a better motif.”, The brunette grinned crookedly and bent over to Markus.  
“Look over there. At the window,” she spoke softly.  


Markus followed her gaze and recognized a familiar blond head by an open window leading to a currently unused classroom. Markus opened his mouth in amazement. Simon had leaned on the ledge and was absorbed in a drawing. He supported his head with one hand. He occasionally looked up and Markus tried to spot the object the android was drawing.  
It seemed he was fascinated by a student who had laid on her stomach to draw a few flowers.  


“Is he allowed to do that,” Markus asked. North frowned.  
“He isn’t breaking any rules, is he? The prof can’t make him stop drawing,” she said as if it were self-evident.  


North put her head on Mark’s shoulder and scribbled on her paper. She was not interested in nature studies and preferred to sketch less peaceful motives, which is why she had often gotten into trouble.  


They remained silent for a few minutes and Markus decided to draw Simon. First hesitantly, then with more determination, he led the pencil over the sheet.  
On Simon’s forehead a wrinkle had formed, as he seemed to be very concentrated. Markus also caught him mumbling from time to time, only he was too far away to really hear anything.  
After a few sketches he turned to other motifs, so that Simon did not attract too much attention in his notes.  


He sketched the tree, which stood mighty in the middle of the courtyard, both roughly and in detail, looking at the plants that were carried up the wall. He moved away from North, who protested, and approached the student. He sat next to her and began to continue his studies with the flowers. His attention rushed within a heartbeat to the open window, but Simon had disappeared.  
The rest of the class went on without anything worth mentioning. The yard came to life with more students attending and the professor decided that the nature studies would be finished for today. The students packed up their materials and many left the yard. Markus and North walked through the corridors towards the cafeteria, as they had about and hour and a half for lunch.  
Equipped with food and drink, they sat down in the front row and began to look at their notes. Markus shook his head as he looked at North’s ‘studies’. There were several rather brutal scenes, which were difficult to decipher with their energetic and indistinct nature.  


"So you _did_ draw him." Markus turned his attention back to North, who was browsing through his drawings.  
Markus frowned. "Why not?" _He drew me too after all_ , he thought. But North shrugged her shoulders in amusement and turned to her phone.  


As they made their way to class, Markus noticed how North began to tremble slightly.  
“Are you cold?” He leaned anxiously towards her and wanted to put his hand on her forehead but she knocked it away.  
“Just excited.” Markus frowned.  
“About what exactly? To see someone naked? Don’t tell me you fell in love with the model.", Markus laughed jokingly.  
"It’s a nice model, okay? Not just some fat lady or hairy old guy like we usually have to draw. ”  


Markus couldn’t deny being a little curious about the model. It is true that the last models did not have much physical aesthetics, but every single model was interesting in their own way.  
They entered the illuminated room and Markus looked around with interest. Most students have already arrived, got their number and stood at the respective easel to prepare for class.  
Markus stood at the urn and got his number for the first round. He had gotten a good position, lateral front position, where he did not have to look directly at the model, but still had a good view of their body.  


The easels were arranged in a circle with a cushioned stool in the middle, on which the model then placed themself.  
There were different laps in class, each lasting ten, twenty or thirty minutes, with a new position being drawn on each lap.  
Markus took his materials and began to prepare his workplace. North had a position where she had a good view of the model’s back.  
He was going through his bag. They would mainly work with coal and might be able to use paint in later hours, depending on how the students will learn.  


Wait.  
The...  
The charcoal.  


The one he wanted to buy at Bellini's.  


"Shit."  


A cold shiver ran down his spine. He forgot to buy the coal. He hesitantly pulled his hand out of his bag and sighed deeply. Markus crossed the circle and looked at North begging.  
“Can I borrow some charcoal? I forgot it. ” North bit her lower lip and shook her head.  
“I just got one coal pen for myself.” Markus laughed humorlessly. Of course. North never brought more than necessary (if she brought materials at all, she usually borrowed the materials from Markus).  


He went back to his seat and gave himself a reason why he had no coal when someone hesitantly tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and looked surprised in two big pale blue eyes.  
“You can have mine, if you want. I’ve got enough. ” Markus blinked and for a moment he was unsure what the blond man wanted from him.  


He only got his grip again when Simon had some charcoal sticks ready for him. Markus took them and smiled gratefully at the android. “Thank you so much, Simon. You saved my ass. ” Simon answered with an enthusiastically smile and Markus put the charcoal pencils in a small tray at the easel. He turned back to Simon to ask him how he could attend class.  


"Wh-"  


But he didn’t really get far with his question when Simon began to pull the sweater over his head. It would be an understatement to say that Markus was surprised. He was no longer sure of his sanity.  


Simon had moved away from Markus and put the sweater neatly folded away on a chair. His hands were now working on opening his pants. He blinked and turned his gaze away from the android and caught North’s gaze, who stared at him grinning to her ears.  


_Why didn't you tell me?_ he mouthed to her but she just continued in grinning.  
Markus closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Simon was the model. What was the problem? He’d treat him like any other model. There was no difference, right?  
When he opened his eyes again, Simon had already taken his position on the stool and looked over briefly at Markus with his incredibly blue eyes.  


_And smiled a smile like he had never seen before._  


Maybe these lessons wouldn’t be as boring as he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM ALIVE
> 
> Yes, I was working five to eleven hours a day and just didn't find the motivation and time to continue. But worry not! Chapter 5 and 6 are on its way! I've got more and more ideas and characters and hidden ships and future ships and background plots (help me) and MAIN PLOTS OMG I LIVE FOR THE SLOWBURN.
> 
> SPECIAL THANKS TO HOLLY (PISS-BUCKET) I LOVE YOU GIRL I SWEAR I'LL LEARN ENGLISH  
> AND SPECIAL THANKS TO HAZEOFELEVEN I LOVE YOU TOO DEAR
> 
> I'm serious, I'd be lost without my betas.
> 
> (i hate html btw)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oiiii guys I'm alive  
> I've been a little obsessed with other things //cough cough Beatles cough cough star wars/// and to be brutally honest this chapter has been ready for at least a few months - i mean since last year - but i was in england - and i was busy - and i just had no motivation i guess but I am back! And chapter six is already done too!  
> special special thanks to my beta reader (tumblr:) hazeofeleven <3  
> \- but please forgive any mistkakes we've overlooked
> 
> dont give up in this fic yet!

"You've got ten minutes.", the professor stated and thus gave the starting signal for the first lap. They had ten minutes to draw before they would switch places again.  
Markus lifted the charcoal pencil, raised his gaze from the easel and looked at Simon. He sat with his back slightly curved, his hands resting relaxed on the chair.

Simon stared absently and deeply absorbed in his thoughts onto the floor. Markus worked his way up from Simon’s rough contours and quickly sketched the posture of his body.  
They had never had an android in their class, let alone a model. Markus had seen a few androids with little clothing, mainly because of the Eden Club’s good advertising. But Markus could not deny a certain curiosity about the android’s body and studied Simon more closely.  
He wasn’t muscular, but slim. He didn’t have any blemishes or scars in his skin. In fact, it seemed so smooth that Markus felt like it looked like porcelain.  
Markus was curious what his skin felt like. Sure, he’d touched androids before - hands and so on - but Simon’s belly, arms and hips were so sculpted that the android could have been a statue.  
Markus’ fingers itched to find out if Simon’s skin was soft and warm. The student shook his head - _what was he thinking?_ \- and added some more lines of Simon’s face.

PL600: Designed for housework and childcare. He probably had softer and more sympathetic traits than other androids.  
His blonde hair was combed neatly to the side and a single whispy strand bobbed noticeably in front of his face. He breathed slowly, whether intentionally or through design, Markus could not say. 

As Markus worked his way down the android’s body, he discovered that Simon was scratching his chair with his fingernails. Although, it wasn’t really scratching. It looked more like Simon wanted his hands occupied. He stroked the cloth, scratched, and tapped random patterns with his fingers. There were no strong or conspicuous movements, so he did not distract the students from drawing.

Within a heartbeat, Markus looked up to Simon’s face, whose LED flashed blue. He had opened his mouth minimally and frowned. Absent, he stared at the floor. Markus wondered what Simon was thinking so much that he was completely lost in his thoughts.

“Time’s up.”  
Both Simon and Markus were brought back to reality. Simon looked up, but Markus turned away to collect his materials. Within ten minutes Markus had not managed to draw what he wanted to. He took a deep breath and pulled the new number out of the urn. 

There was a mix-up for a few minutes when all the students set up at their new position. Markus got the position North had had before. Simon didn’t move and sank easily back into his thoughts.

It was substantially better to concentrate now, because Markus just had to sketch Simon’s back.

They had one 10 minute lap and two 20 minute laps left. The student had difficulties concentrating after the last twenty minutes.

“Time’s up. Please, get your last numbers for the next thirty minutes,” called the professor and the students collected their materials to take their new places. When Markus pulled his number and stood at his numbered easel, he felt the heat creeping into his face.

Front position.

He hated front position, regardless the model. It was just awkward.  
He looked up and made eye contact with Simon. His LED flashed yellow for a second before calming down again. Simon smiled encouragingly at Markus, but broke eye contact instantly. With a dazed feeling he turned to the easel. 

While sketching Simon, he noticed the android blinking to Markus every now and then, just a fraction of a second.

When he began to dare to sketch the body in more detail, for the first time he could see the more private areas of the androids body. From his previous positions he never really had a chance to look at it, but now that he had Simon right in front of him … he was surprised? 

Markus had never really thought about it. Probably he had simply assumed that androids (besides the ones at the Eden Club) had no genitals.  
At least that was a false assumption. Markus caught himself looking at the android’s dick in amazement and immediately came back into eye contact with Simon. He smiled embarrassingly at Markus, as he could probably guess his train of thought. Simon blinked and Markus turned with red cheeks back to his easel again. 

With more time that passed, the less awkward he felt. He was finished five minutes ahead of schedule and decided to make quick, smaller sketches next to it.  
Since Simon had lost interest in staring at the floor, he looked a little shyly at Markus.

They kept eye contact and Markus tried not to get uncomfortable with it. He winked at Simon and started making a little sketch of his face.

“Time’s up everybody. Let’s have a little break. We’ll review in a few minutes.” 

A sigh of relief went through the crowd of students and Simon stretched his limbs. Markus has always been amazed at how models could endure such a long time in a certain pose.

Simon got up and dressed himself again. Markus wanted to go to him, but a female laugh next to him prevented his plan. 

“That’s a pretty gay ass move, y’know Markus?” Blinking, Markus turned to face North. 

“What do you mean?” 

North raised her eyebrow and gave him a ‘you know what I mean’ face, nodded towards his drawing, but Markus still didn’t get what she wanted him to understand. 

“You drew his fuckin’ eyes, man.” 

Markus stared at his work. He wasn’t able to complete Simon’s whole face within five minutes, that’s why he decided to concentrate on his eyes. 

“Wha- no I didn’t- I just had some extra time to fill,” Markus justified himself but North remained skeptical. She looked behind him and a heartbeat later he knew why. 

“Pretty neat.” Simon joined them and looked at Markus latest work. He was fully clothed again and smiled at the student. 

“Thank you,” he answered and reciprocated his smile. Markus collected the charcoal and held it in front of Simon. “And uh thank you for letting me borrow the charcoal.” 

It wasn’t the charcoal he always used, since Carl gave him the opportunity to buy very good (but also expensive) materials, but nevertheless he was grateful that Simon helped him.

“Don’t worry about it, really. You can keep it, I’ve got enough.” Simon made eye contact with Markus but something was different in the android’s pale blue eyes. 

North hit him on the shoulder in a friendly manner. 

“Done flirting? I wanna know what you’re up to this weekend.” Simon blinked in amazement. His eyes scurried back and forth between North and Markus. 

“Uh … I don’t know yet. I was asked to look after Joseph and Alice on Sunday.” 

“Who?” North frowned. 

“Uhm, they are the children of some of my friends,” Simon explained but North rolled her eyes in boredom. “Why don’t you do something with us? I heard you’re in contact with Josh, aren’t ya?” 

For a short moment his LED flashed yellow. 

“I’d like to-” 

“Then it is settled!” This time she hit him on the back so Simon reluctantly stepped forward.

“Okay everybody. Break’s over. Let’s review,” the professor said. The students gathered in the middle and spread out their work from that hour. The professor approached North, Markus and Simon and nodded towards the android. 

“Thank you for being here, Simon. We’ll see you next week.” They shook hands and Simon said goodbye to both of them. 

The viewing and evaluation of the drawing lasted about an hour and a half and everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the professor finished the lesson. They collected their drawings together and stacked them on a table that stood to the side. 

Full of energy, North danced down the halls. 

“We are free-hee.” Markus followed her, shaking his head. “Weekend! Weekend!” Some students turned in confusion but she ignored them.

After they had left the university, North spread her arms and turned laughing. 

“What are we going to do,” she asked with enthusiasm.  
“We could go to _Chloe’s_ ,” Markus suggested but she shook her head.  
“Nah, I don’t wanna see her.” Markus stopped for a moment and frowned.  
“Her?” But North didn’t answer, instead stalking down the street.

Markus walked silently next to her without really having a goal in mind. After a few minutes, North suggested in a loud voice: “How about we look for Leo?” 

It took Markus a moment to understand what she had said. 

“Leo? Why do you want to find him?” North stopped in her tracks and crossed her arms. 

“Why wouldn’t I? He is your brother and I deeply care for every member of your family.” Markus raised a doubting eyebrow, as her voice dripped only with sarcasm. 

“This isn’t funny, North. Leo could be anywhere.” Markus knew North wasn’t very empathetic, and even less sympathetic towards Leo, but it made him angry that she seemed so condescending. 

“I’m sorry, princess. Didn’t know you were so fond of that crackhead,” she snapped and Markus felt the heat creeping in his face. 

“What is wrong with you? He could be dead!” His voice became louder and his was distorted with rage. North raised her hands defensively, but her gaze showed no remorse.

“I’m bored, okay? And the police can’t do shit. How about we look for him by ourselves? Like a real investigation!” Her eyes beamed and she grinned joyfully at Markus. He opened his mouth to answer, but no sound came out of him. He seriously doubted her sanity.

“We are art students, not policemen. And it is illegal to enter a crime scene.” 

Interested, North raised an eyebrow. 

“Crime scene? What crime scene?” Markus sighed and weighed his options. He was going to look for Leo. And the way Connor saw it, it didn’t look good for him. The whole case seemed so confusing and the evidence Connor had been telling him didn’t add up.

“Leo’s blood was found at a crime scene. Apparently, a man named Ortiz was killed. Connor and the Lieutenant were called because they found Red Ice at the scene.” Although North was bored and annoyed at first, now she was wide awake. 

“What? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Did Leo kill him?” 

They started to move again but North didn’t let the topic go. 

“Ortiz you said? I think I’ve heard his name before. It was on the news, wasn’t it?” She pulled out her phone and typed hastily on it. Markus leaned over her shoulder with interest. 

“I knew it! Listen to this; ‘On Thursday afternoon, the police received an anonymous phone call reporting loud screaming from a house on Kramer Street. When the police arrived at the location, a horrible scene was discovered. A mid-aged man was stabbed multiple times in the chest and evidence which led to believe he got in a fight were found.  
Neighbors reported that he was often visited by a young man, who appeared to have stayed the last few days. Furthermore, the neighbors claim that the victim had an android, but neither the unknown man nor his android were found at the scene.  
Blah blah blah.” 

Markus felt a cold shiver run down his spine. It was one thing to get the situation explained by a friend rather than read it in the news. 

"They did not name the victim. Maybe it was not Ortiz.” North looked at him skeptically. 

"A young man who visited him? And stayed the last few days? How can this not be Leo?"

Markus gave up. 

“Okay, it probably was Ortiz. But what do you want to do? Go to his house? It’s still a crime scene after all.” North grinned mischievously at Markus and raised her phone higher. She looked for a number and held it to her ear.

“Hey, puppy. Remember the favor you owe me?” Markus frowned, but listened anxiously to North. 

“Yeah yeah, you’re still safe. Listen, I wanna go to a crime scene- No, I’m not- I said listen! You won’t regret it. I wanna go to that Ortiz house- Yes he did.” North went silent and he heard someone on the other side speak furiously. 

“Remember what I fucking do for you. I just want an hour, okay?” Markus saw her eyes light up. 

“Just Markus and me. So we have a deal? Hell yes, you’re safe. Thank you puppy.” Before the person on the other side could reply, she had already hung up and winked at Markus.

“Got the exact address and the backup. We’ll meet him there.” She changed directions and Markus felt curiosity spreading inside him. 

“Who do we meet,” he asked. 

“Connor.” 

Markus stopped immediately and stared at her with wide eyes. 

“Connor? You can’t put him in this position! He’ll get in trouble if they find us sneaking around at a crime scene.” North shook her head. 

“Nah, he won’t. I mean, probably. Don’t worry about it, okay? Nobody will know that we were there.” 

Markus tilted his head. She was right. And he was curious too. He really wanted to find Leo and looking for him by himself could possibly clear things up. He doesn’t think that the police couldn’t find him, but he felt safer taking the things in his own hands. Thus he followed North and after probably forty minutes of walking they turned onto Kramer Street.


End file.
